Robot brothel opponents should focus attention on humans

1of5The idea of sex robot brothels came into the public eye in mid-2018 when an entrepreneur proposed opening a hotel where patrons could rent robots for sexual activities. Local officials in Oak Ridge North quickly moved by the fall to adopt changes to the city’s sexually oriented business ordinance, in effect banning any theoretical sex robot brothel.Photo: Courtesy of RLSD. / Courtesy of RLSD.

2of5Doll from Real Love Sex Dolls, one of the largest sellers of ultra-realistic dolls in the U.S. located in Austin, Texas.Photo: Courtesy of RLSD LP. / Courtesy of RLSD LP.

3of5Doll from Real Love Sex Dolls, one of the largest sellers of ultra-realistic dolls in the U.S. located in Austin, Texas.Photo: Courtesy of RLSD LP. / Courtesy of RLSD LP.

4of5Sex robot dolls, like this doll from Real Love Sex Dolls, one of the largest sellers of ultra-realistic dolls in the U.S. located in Austin, Texas, were banned for temporary use or rental by the city of Oak Ridge North in November.Photo: Courtesy of RLSD LP. / Courtesy of RLSD LP.

5of5Oak Ridge North on Nov. 8 voted unanimously to amend their sexually oriented business ordinance to prohibit the temporary rental or use of anthropomorphic sex devices, such as this doll from Real Love Sex Dolls, one of the largest sellers of ultra-realistic dolls in the U.S. located in Austin, Texas.Photo: Courtesy of RLSD. / Courtesy of RLSD.

What someone does with a sex toy behind closed doors is none of the government’s business.

That seems obvious enough, but use the word robot, and imaginations go wild. Some Houstonians are clutching their pearls at the prospect of the nation’s first robot brothel opening in their fair city. The righteous decried what they saw as an affront to community standards.

“This is not the kind of business I would like to see in Houston, and certainly this is not the kind of business the city is seeking to attract,” Turner said in a written statement to the Houston Chronicle. He promised to review city ordinances, and if necessary draft a new one, to block KinkySDolls from opening.

KinkySDolls is one of many manufacturers of sex dolls that range in price from $4,000 to $20,000 depending on the features. The company operates a try-before-you-buy store in Toronto, where time alone in a private room with one of the products ranges from $80 to $120.

Or put another way, the company offers a hotel room with a sex doll in it on an hourly basis.

Setting aside the ick factor, Texans should remember that a federal judge overruled state laws banning the sale, possession and use of sex toys in 2008. A young Ted Cruz, then the state’s solicitor general, tried to convince the judge to sustain the law, but later said he was only doing his job. Last year Cruz called the sex toy ban “a stupid law.”

“Consenting adults should be able to do whatever they want in their bedrooms,” he told CNN.

One assumes that also applies to a consenting adult and a robot. A full-size sex toy with computer chips should be no different than a vibrator in the eyes of the law.

Science fiction fans know there is an entire sub-genre that questions when machines will become sentient and worthy of the same rights as humans. But current doll technology is no more advanced than the Siri function on the iPhone. And there is no law against me taking a hammer to my phone if I choose.

KinkySDolls is undoubtedly a sexually-oriented business but so are dozens of sex toy stores and strip clubs. Rather than enforce existing ordinances on 16 strip clubs, the city agreed to look the other way in 2013 if the owners contributed to the city's Human Trafficking Abatement Fund. This astonishing flexibility makes the current indignation over a new sex toy store hypocritical.

The religious groups sponsoring a petition to ban robot brothels would just as soon shut them all down. They claim sexually-oriented businesses hurt our society by objectifying women. But the U.S. decided long ago that governments do not determine morality.

Violent pornography is widely available, blatant sexuality is key to female celebrity and unhealthy sexual expectations distort mens’ behavior. These things are deplorable. But neither do we want the government to control our Internet browsing, tell women what to wear or instruct men on manners.

If our society were serious about curbing violence, the first thing we would do is impose strict gun control laws like those found in every other civilized country. How is it more acceptable to rent an automatic rifle and shoot human-shaped targets than it is to a rent toy to act out a sexual fantasy?

None of this is to argue that relying on robots for companionship would be healthy. A person’s mental health degrades in isolation. We know people who spend too much time on their computers and smartphones develop severe behavioral problems.

Nor should we take seriously anyone who claims sex robots will make the world safer. Robot brothels will not end human prostitution. And a handful of people may develop sadistic fantasies they later perpetrate on unwilling humans, just as they do through pornography.

Frankly, there are more significant problems the government should address. Experts estimate that about 400 Houston businesses are fronts for real brothels where human traffickers exploit and abuse real women. Every day men exploit underage girls using smartphones and the Internet.

So many human victims need protection, it’s ludicrous that elected officials should waste time worrying about what people do with robots. Robot brothels already operate in Europe and Asia, and such businesses make money because they are just another form of an amusement park.

There is no justification for government interference between a person and his or her sex machine. Houston officials should concentrate on protecting people instead.

Chris Tomlinson has written commentary on business, energy and economics for the Houston Chronicle since 2014. Before joining the Chronicle, he spent 20 years with The Associated Press reporting on politics, conflicts and economics from more than 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He’s also the author of the New York Times bestseller Tomlinson Hill, and he produced the award-winning documentary film by the same name. Both examine the history and consequences of race, politics and economics in Texas.